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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/30075789">The Things I've Learned From a Broken Mirror</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/aguamala/pseuds/aguamala'>aguamala</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>I'll Be Your West Coast, Honey [22]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Stray Kids (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Cuddling &amp; Snuggling, Don't copy to another site, Familiars, Introversion, Kim Seungmin-centric, M/M, Multi, Stress, not very healthy coping mechanisms oops, ooh that's an actual tag neat</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-03-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 19:27:55</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,513</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/30075789</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/aguamala/pseuds/aguamala</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>It’s a lot. Everything’s a lot.<br/>Or, Seungmin gets overwhelmed and camps out at the company building. His boyfriends are understandably worried.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Kim Seungmin/Lee Minho | Lee Know, OT8 - Relationship</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>I'll Be Your West Coast, Honey [22]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1475081</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>149</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>A Light In The Hallway 'Verse</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The Things I've Learned From a Broken Mirror</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Please be sure to read the end notes!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>It’s a lot. Everything’s a lot. There’s too much going on that he can’t control and not enough going on that he can, so he leaves. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Seungmin finds himself in a practice room in the company building, tucked back in the far corners that few people bother to monitor. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They’ve got a whole week off so it shouldn’t be this overwhelming but … stuff like this doesn’t always follow logic. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He’d woken with Jisung curled around him this morning, nothing out of the ordinary, but the moment he was conscious it felt like the points of physical contact between them were crawling under his skin. There was nothing wrong energy-wise, so he thought it was just a No-Touch Day and got out of bed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>When he found himself waiting outside the kitchen, though, hesitant to enter for fear of questions about plans and homework and requests for hugs, it was too much. He dressed quickly and left, and he can’t remember – or muster up the energy to care – whether or not he left a note. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The pianos are out of tune in all these back rooms, but the staff leave the equipment in a closet on this floor. A quick trip to the bathroom to get some water later and Seungmin’s all set, quietly thanking his former piano tutor for ensuring he had this drilled into his brain. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>His hands shake at the beginning, terrified of a knock on the door or a buzz at his phone, but locking the door and turning his phone data off begin to assuage those fears. He’s pulled into the process, the mind-numbing repetition and the calm satisfaction of a well-tuned note. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He’s always wondered why they don’t just replace these old pianos with keyboards, but figures the higher-ups have either forgotten they exist or dismissed the idea as an unjustified cost. They do tend to do that. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>His fingers find their places on the keys and he runs through his warmups, having to remind himself intermittently to actually focus and not let autopilot take over. He fell sick for a while during their last promotions, so he has work to catch up on here, let alone the homework he’s still behind on – and actually </span>
  <em>
    <span>behind</span>
  </em>
  <span> this time, not just not-quite-as-ahead-as-usual. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It’s their second day of a full week off and he’s going to use every minute he’s got until he’s back on schedule. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>His hands take him from warmups into practice, pulling out the sheet music for new exercises and old songs. He’d packed a full bag before leaving, throwing homework and music and devices and chargers all in because he doesn’t know when he’ll be returning to the dorms. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He might be here until someone comes to get him. A nasty little part of his brain says they won’t even notice he’s gone, but he quashes that with a particularly loud chord. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>When the songs start coming too easy and his water bottle runs low, he switches it up. He makes another quick trip to the bathroom, this time refilling his bottle. He expects that’ll be a common occurrence while he’s here. Setting up his little bluetooth speaker and putting their choreographed songs on shuffle, he clears space in the middle of the room and takes a breath. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Songs fuzz into each other. Seungmin stumbles a lot, particularly on older songs he hasn’t needed the choreo for in a while and on songs where he uses group positions as memory aids, but overall his work isn’t half-bad. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Over time his moves turn into shortcuts, reminders of the motions rather than the motions themselves, and his thighs start trembling. He glances at his phone and – it’s been two and a half hours of nonstop dance. Maybe it’s time for a break. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>As the last notes of </span>
  <em>
    <span>Get Cool</span>
  </em>
  <span> disappear, Seungmin sinks to the ground. He shuts the playlist off and lets the silence ring through the room. Morning has given way to afternoon and his stomach has remembered he didn’t eat breakfast. Its grumbles break the silence, forcing Seungmin up and out. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He uses the key on the wall to lock the door as he leaves; he doesn’t feel like carrying everything down to the café. Very few follow the no-food-in-the-practice-room rules, but Seungmin is one of those few. It’s especially important in the back rooms, which he’s sure don’t get cleaned as regularly as the more common ones, let alone the ones used for filming. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>A sandwich, a fruit cup, and a bubble tea later, Seungmin is back in the practice room. He’s still got the tea, but compromised with himself by bringing a significant number of napkins back with him in case it spills. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Time disappears frighteningly easily in a windowless practice room, lit from outside by unrelenting fluorescents and from inside by lights that are slightly too yellow and never quite bright enough. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungmin finishes his fourth assignment before leaving the room again, this time for a bathroom break and dinner. He spends dinner re-watching performances, eyes sharp for mistakes and slip-ups. At this point, he’s trained himself out of looking at comments, instead trusting his own measure of his work. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>A group chat message comes in from Changbin, reminding Chan to come home soon. A moment of panic seizes Seungmin’s body at the thought of Chan finding him in the café, wrapping him in a hug and walking him home. He stands abruptly, tossing the end of his meal into the garbage and taking a back staircase to return to the practice rooms. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He leaves his data on this time, but turns his phone on silent. It’s face-up on the piano as he warms up again and sings, so he won’t be distracted by shenanigans in the group chat but he’ll see it light up if a text comes in. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>At around midnight he sets his work aside. Filling out his journal settles him, especially being able to reflect on his energy levels and think about why he might be so overwhelmed today. Closing that, he curls up on the floor, balling his sweatshirt up to use as a pillow and draping his jacket over himself as a blanket. It’s almost sad how fast he falls asleep, but he’s passed out faster in far less comfortable places. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Seungmin wakes feeling better. He’s not great, by any stretch of the word, but definitely better. His phone reveals a couple texts, mostly asking if he wants to go out and do anything. No one seems to have noticed he wasn’t home last night, and he’s not sure whether to feel happy or disappointed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He does tend to play musical beds, especially during time off, so it’s no real surprise that everyone just assumed he was in another room, but it’s both sad and relieving that no one actually checked. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think … I think a couple more hours and I’ll be good,” he says to himself. He isn’t quite ready to face everyone, but a couple more hours alone and a few more assignments checked off and he might be. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>After an egg sandwich and a coffee, he truly feels ready to face the day. He doesn’t bother locking the practice room door when he gets back, instead just settling into a corner of the room and opening his laptop. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He spends the day again alternating between practice and homework. He intermittently dips down to the café to grab snacks, usually eating them as he walks back up. Some small part of him wants to know how long he can be away from home before someone notices, but his back muscles violently disagree with spending another night on the floor. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He’s halfway through his second round of vocal warm-ups for the day when the door bursts open. Seungmin startles, striking a discordant chord and nearly falling off his seat. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, thank </span>
  <em>
    <span>fuck,”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Minho says. “I’ve been looking for you everywhere.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungmin blinks at him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Minho stares incredulously back. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“‘Why?’ Maybe because you’ve been gone for two days and we’re all worried sick!” Seungmin shrinks back a little. “Maybe because you left no note, no text, no warning of any kind and we thought– we thought you’d been–” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Minho’s words fail him and he just stands there, empty-handed in the doorway. Seungmin crosses the small room and brings him inside – he’s relieved to find the physical contact of their hands together feels reassuring rather than wrong – closing the door behind him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m okay, I promise.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Minho sinks to the floor, pulling Seungmin into his lap. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What happened, puppy? This isn’t like you.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I just … I woke up yesterday and Sungie was curled around me and it felt </span>
  <em>
    <span>bad</span>
  </em>
  <span> and </span>
  <em>
    <span>wrong</span>
  </em>
  <span> and I waited outside the kitchen but the thought of talking, of having questions and hugs and </span>
  <em>
    <span>people</span>
  </em>
  <span> was just too much so I left.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’ve been here since yesterday morning?” Seungmin nods. “Oh, babydoll, I had no idea it was getting so bad.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If it’s any consolation, I clearly had no idea either.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Minho manages a weak chuckle, pulling Seungmin closer to his chest. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait, shit– is this okay? The…” He gestures vaguely. “The holding and stuff? Just let me know if you need space at any point, okay?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s okay,” Seungmin says, leaning his head on Minho’s shoulder. “It’s kind of nice right now.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you think you’ll be able to come back to the dorms tonight?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I want to, but I’m worried I’ll feel okay then get home and have everyone swarm me and end up right back where I started.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s a good thing I’m here, then.” Minho drops a kiss on Seungmin’s shoulder. “When we head back – and no rush on this – I’ll let them know to leave us be for a while and we can stay in the guest room until you’re ready, yeah?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungmin nods. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you think …” he trails off. Minho nods encouragingly. “Do you think Jisungie could sleep with us in the guest room tonight? I miss him.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, puppy, I think he’d love to.” Seungmin wraps his arms around Minho. “In fact, I think the harder part will be keeping the rest of them out.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungmin giggles. Minho laughs softly, holding Seungmin tight against him, like he’ll disappear if he lets go. It sinks in, then, how worried everyone was for him and how much he scared them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry,” Seungmin says. The words are muffled slightly against Minho’s neck. “I’m sorry I worried you all and that I didn’t leave a note and didn’t answer any texts or calls.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s okay. Well, no, it’s not </span>
  <em>
    <span>okay,</span>
  </em>
  <span> but it happened and I accept your apology.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>In an effort to stop everyone (read: Chan) from brushing aside hurtful things, they’ve all started working on accepting apologies rather than dismissing them, and avoiding calling things okay when they’re not. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you want to talk about causes and improvements now or later?” There’s not a ‘let’s not talk about this’ option. With Minho, there never is. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Let’s do it now.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Did you journal last night?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They’ve left the practice room. Seungmin packed up his things while Minho called and reassured a very frantic Chan. They migrated to one of the less-occupied lounges. Seungmin asked for a little bit of space while they talked, so they’re at opposite ends of a couch, each leaning on an arm so they can face each other. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I did.” Seungmin digs his journal out of his bag. “I just wrote about my energy levels and how much I got done.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Were you …” Minho seems hesitant to ask. Seungmin nods a little to encourage him. “Were you working the whole day?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Maybe Seungmin shouldn’t have urged him on. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes.” There’s no point beating around the bush. Minho sucks in a breath. “I did a variety of things, and I was careful not to overwork myself on any single aspect, but I did work the whole day.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why?” It’s concerned rather than accusatory. “As a distraction, or …?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungmin takes a deep breath. This is the part he doesn’t look forward to. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I got sick during our last set of promotions and fell behind.” He holds up a hand as Minho opens his mouth to talk. He wants to get everything out before they start dissecting. “I fell behind in both idol work and classwork. I know– I know STAY still love me no matter what, and that they understand I got sick, but I wasn’t performing to my own standards and I felt a need to make up for that. More pressing, though, is the homework. I’m actually behind in a couple classes, and staying in the dorms to work would’ve led to too many distractions. I’m not saying what I did was the best choice, or even necessarily a good one on many levels, but I feel I was justified at the time in making that choice.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungmin sits back a little and Minho mirrors him. They both take a moment to process. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay. Would it help to watch through performances with someone else every once in a while so you can bounce critiques off each other and get a better sense of what’s nitpicky and what’s an underlying issue?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungmin nods. He can do that; he and Jeongin already watch stages together for vocal critique – usually so they can critique themselves before their coaches do it for them – but doing it with Hyunjin, maybe, for dance might help. Actually, Hyunjin’s inclined to be nicer than Seungmin needs, so he might go to Minho on that one. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I think I can do that.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you. And on the topic of energy, you’ve been more extroverted as of late. Is there … do you think there’s anything there that you want to talk about?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I dunno,” Seungmin says, brow furrowing. “I’ve felt more extroverted recently, I guess? Maybe because I’ve been getting energy from being around people I didn’t notice the sensory issues creeping in until they exploded yesterday. I think– The more I think about it, the more it’s, like, the people themselves weren’t the issue – I spent maybe an hour and a half in the café yesterday at peak hours and that didn’t bug me at all. It was just the physical contact, really, that set me off.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That makes sense,” Minho says. “Do you think it’d help to add a little section to your journal for people-energy and sensory comfort? I know you have a set system for that and I don’t want to ask you to mess with it, but having that charted could let you track patterns and just thinking about it for a couple minutes every night might help prevent stuff like this again.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungmin nods as he thinks. Adding something like that wouldn’t be difficult, and there are definitely benefits to it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think that could definitely help, hyung. Thank you.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you for being receptive to my ideas.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungmin scoots awkwardly across the couch but it doesn’t matter when he ends up flopped on top of Minho. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You doing alright, babydoll?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah. I think I might be okay to go home now, as long as we can still stay in the guest room tonight.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course, love. I told Channie about it and he and Jisungie are getting it set up for us.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungmin cheers quietly, earning a bright laugh from Minho. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright, let’s get going then.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Seungmin finds himself taking Minho’s hand as they leave the building. It’s dark already, which isn’t something either of them had accounted for. Minho squeezes Seungmin’s hand. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you still okay to walk or would you like to call a car?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Um … I think I can walk but would you maybe make a witchlight? Just so I can see into alleys and stuff.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course.” Minho sparks a small witchlight and lets it float ahead of them, illuminating the spaces around corners enough that Seungmin relaxes. “Would you feel better with music or would that make it worse?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Worse,” Seungmin responds immediately. “I need to have a soundscape.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright.” There’s no further questioning, no pushing, just acceptance and a warm hand. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Minho stays tucked tight against Seungmin’s side the whole walk home. He squeezes Seungmin’s hand as he relaxes when they enter the dorm building. Entering the dorm itself, and the emotion-stabilizing magic within, only relaxes Seungmin further and he’s finally able to feel safe. Chan keeps reminding him that it’ll take a while before he’s comfortable outside at night and that it’s okay, but he wishes he could just go back to normal already. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hyunjin perks up as they pass the living room, but Chan slings an arm around his shoulders to keep him in his seat. Jisung, who had been hovering at the entrance to the kitchen, joins them as they head to the guest room. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Seung,” Minho says as soon as the door’s shut behind them, “do you feel comfortable going to your room to get clothes, or would you rather have Sungie grab them for you?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can get them.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright. Let’s all get ready for bed. Ji, Seung, would you mind staying together?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, hyung,” they chorus. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungmin takes the lead, letting Jisung hold his hand and trail behind while they get ready. No one is in their room, thankfully, so they get changed. Seungmin lets Jisung derail them for a while by pushing him against the door and kissing him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I missed you,” Jisung mumbles. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry I didn’t reach out,” Seungmin says. “It … I talked it over with Minho-hyung and I think I’ve got a system now that will stop this from happening again.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s good.” Seungmin shares Jisung’s smile. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright, let’s get finished before hyung gets jealous, yeah?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After the brushing of teeth and washing of faces, they end up tangled together in the big bed in the guest room. Jisung pouts his way into sleeping in the middle – though Seungmin and Minho didn’t exactly put up a fight; Minho doesn’t generally like sleeping in the middle and Seungmin’s glad to have an outside spot this time. It’s not like he can’t climb over either of them in their sleep, but he’d rather not have to, especially if he’s panicking or having sensory overload while he’s doing it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What are you guys doing for the rest of the week?” Jisung asks, clearly fighting sleep. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If you say ‘more homework,’ Seungmin,” Minho threatens. Seungmin laughs. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I do have some more work to catch up on, hyung, but I’m in a good spot now. I have lecture a couple of times, but I think Lix and I were going to check out a new bakery across town sometime, and Hyunjinnie’s liable to steal me for some cuddles soon.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can we do a movie night?” Jisung asks. “With a fort in the living room and a big cuddle pile?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sure,” Seungmin says. Jisung’s inability to say no to Seungmin isn’t as much of a one-way street as their boyfriends tend to think. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, I think I can fit that in somewhere.” Minho just grins as Jisung pouts at him. Seungmin snorts and plants a kiss on the back of Jisung’s neck. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m gonna go to sleep now,” he says, “so keep the flirting to a low roar, yeah?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It’s Minho’s turn to snort. Jisung swats at Seungmin’s ass, but it’s a bad angle and he hits his hip instead. Seungmin just smiles, cuddling close to Jisung and closing his eyes. This is good. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Seungmin wakes easily. He rolls over to find Minho and Jisung curled together. Jisung is tucked under Minho’s chin and looking especially tiny. He reaches a gentle hand over and strokes through his hair. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Minho’s eyes blink open. Seungmin’s struck for a moment by how handsome he is. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“G’morning,” he says, voice low and sleep-rough. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Morning.” Though Jisung could absolutely sleep through a full-volume conversation right above his head, they keep fairly quiet. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Feel better?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah. How are you?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m alright.” Minho closes his eyes again. “Had a really weird dream, though.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Like nightmare weird or prophetic weird or just, like, </span>
  <em>
    <span>weird</span>
  </em>
  <span> weird?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m not sure.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seungmin hums. There’s a really nice stripe of sunlight across his back right now and it’s doing its best to tempt him back to sleep. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Something stirs at the end of the bed. Seungmin leans up a little and finds himself looking at a small black cat. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, hyung?” he asks. Minho makes a vague </span>
  <em>
    <span>mmf</span>
  </em>
  <span> noise. “Uh … did you adopt a cat while I was away?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What? No.” Minho detangles himself from Jisung and sits up. Jisung stirs a little, rubbing at his eyes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then what’s …” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Minho opens his hand and the cat walks up to him, tail waving elegantly. Seungmin notices it isn’t entirely black; parts of its paws, stomach, and face are white. It climbs onto Minho’s thighs and sets its paw on the middle of his palm. A little shock of yellow-gold light erupts, but fades just as quick as it came. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Minho looks up at Seungmin, eyes sparkling. Seungmin starts to smile, realizing what’s going on. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I got my familiar.” </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This is the last work in this series, aside from a set of bonus outtake scenes I’ll be posting in two weeks (don’t worry, I’ll address the cliff-hanger in a bit). Thank you to everyone who’s been subscribed and waiting for each update since day one, thank you to everyone who just found this fic and has so many questions, and thank you to everyone in-between. In particular, thank you to the Chan’s Kitchen discord for encouraging me to get this sucker done.<br/>Re: this universe, I started this series as a way to get comfortable writing Stray Kids, and to fill a noticeable gap in Seungmin-centric content I noticed at the time. The format of plotless, slightly inter-connected slice-of-life content was deliberate because at the time, I could barely handle realistic dialogue, let alone significant plot. I have reached the end of what this series can do for me in terms of writing development and I’m ready to move on. However, this isn’t the end of this universe. The collection I’ve been putting these in, <a>A Light In The Hallway ‘Verse,</a> will eventually encompass two other works/series (I haven’t quite figured out the formatting on them yet, though one of them will directly address the cliff-hanger here). I need to work on something else for a while though, for my own sanity, so I have no idea when I’ll get to writing/posting those.<br/>As always, you’re welcome to follow me on <a>twitter</a> for writing updates or ask me questions on <a>curiouscat.</a> (I’m open to any questions you might have about the future of this universe) And feel free to drop a kudos or a comment if you’re so inclined. Thank you!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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